Three Jurisdictions. One Attorney. No Referrals.
One firm handles New York, New Jersey, and Israeli legal matters simultaneously — with direct access to David Shakarchi from the first call.
| Jurisdiction | Where we file | What it produces |
|---|---|---|
| New York | Surrogate’s CourtAll five boroughs | Letters TestamentarySCPA Section 205 |
| New Jersey | County SurrogateAll 21 counties | Estate administrationauto claims |
| Israel | Registrar of InheritancesFiled directly in Hebrew | Tzav Yerushat · Tzav Kiyum Tzava’ainheritance & will validation |
Why do complex legal matters require a tri-jurisdictional attorney?
Most families navigating a New York estate do not expect to discover Israeli property in the mix. Most construction workers do not know they have a separate civil claim under the New York Industrial Code beyond standard workers’ compensation.
The common thread is a complex legal situation that crosses a jurisdictional or statutory boundary that most attorneys cannot easily follow.
David Shakarchi has practiced in New York, New Jersey, and Israeli courts for over 35 years. He files probate petitions in the New York Surrogate’s Court and inheritance orders with the Israeli Registrar of Inheritances. Every client who calls reaches him directly — not a case manager, and not a junior associate.
That structure matters. It dictates what gets done, and how efficiently your legal rights are protected.
What specific practice areas does David Shakarchi handle?
Six primary practice areas across three jurisdictions — under one unified representation, with no hand-offs.
Probate and Estate Administration
When a family member passes away, bank accounts freeze and brokerages refuse to release assets. You need Letters Testamentary — a court order authorizing the executor to act. Under the Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act (SCPA) Section 205, David files these highly technical petitions across every county in New York’s five boroughs and New Jersey’s 21 counties, clearing procedural hurdles so assets can be legally transferred.
Israeli Probate and Estate Administration
If a parent dies in New York but owned property in Tel Aviv or held accounts in Haifa, U.S. court orders are insufficient. You need a separate Israeli proceeding — a Tzav Kiyum Tzava’a (will validation order) or a Tzav Yerushat (inheritance order). David files these directly with the Israeli Registrar of Inheritances. There is no referral to a separate Israeli attorney.
Cross-Border Estate Planning
If you own property in both countries, a single will is rarely sufficient. A coordinated dual-will strategy — one will drafted under New York or New Jersey law, and one strictly under Israeli Succession Law — allows each jurisdiction to handle its own assets without burdening your family with complex cross-border document authentication after you are gone.
Personal Injury & Construction Litigation
We handle car accidents, slip and falls, and severe construction site injuries. For New York workers, David leverages strict liability statutes like New York Labor Law Section 240(1) (the Scaffold Law) and Section 241(6) to hold property owners and general contractors accountable for Industrial Code violations, such as hazardous openings under 12 NYCRR 23-1.7. In New Jersey, he navigates the verbal threshold requirements of auto accident claims. Every file is built for trial.
Real Estate Transactions
We manage closings, contract reviews, and title issue resolutions across New York City and New Jersey. Because New York has no standard attorney review period — meaning the contract binds immediately at signing — David engages proactively at the contract stage to protect your earnest money before you ever reach the closing table.
Commercial Litigation and Debt Collection
We handle breach of contract claims, business disputes, and complex judgment enforcement. Using mechanisms like CPLR 3213 for accelerated summary judgment in New York’s Commercial Division, David domesticates and enforces foreign commercial judgments rapidly. When a debtor’s assets are in Israel, enforcement continues seamlessly overseas.
Why has New York’s Israeli community relied on this firm for 35 years?
The New York metropolitan area holds one of the largest Israeli-American populations in the world — and their legal needs sit exactly at the intersection of both legal systems.
Communities across Queens, Brooklyn and Bergen County include individuals who hold assets, family ties, and legal obligations on both sides of the Atlantic. They need an attorney who does not require them to explain Israeli law — counsel who files fluently in Hebrew, understands the differences between the Israeli Registrar of Inheritances and the Family Court, knows how to calculate Mas Shevach (Israeli capital gains tax) on inherited property, and can simultaneously handle the New York end of the estate.
- The Israeli Consulate in New York
- The Israeli Land Registry
- The New York Secretary of State’s apostille office
Clients in Queens do not need to fly to Tel Aviv to get their estate in order. They come to our office at 1 W. 34th Street, one block from Penn Station, and the international matter is resolved locally in Manhattan.
How does trial-ready representation affect personal injury offers?
Trial-capable representation changes what insurance carriers offer before a single demand letter is sent.
The value of a personal injury case is not determined by the medical records alone. It is heavily shaped by how the opposing insurance carrier assesses the attorney sitting on the other side of the table. A firm with a documented history of taking cases through jury verdict in New York courts occupies an advantageous negotiating position. Carriers price their settlement offers accordingly.
David Shakarchi has litigated personal injury cases from intake through jury verdict for over 35 years.
Every file is built to a trial-ready standard. That is not a contingency that activates when a settlement fails — it is the starting point.
How do we resolve estates that span New York and Israel?
Cross-border estates typically stall because two distinct legal systems require two separate proceedings, and most attorneys are only licensed to handle one.
Consider a family in Brooklyn that inherits a parent’s apartment in Tel Aviv and a brokerage account in Manhattan. Everyone agrees on the distribution, yet six months later, nothing has moved. The Israeli bank will not release the account without a Tzav Yerushat. The Israeli Land Registry will not transfer the apartment without that same order. Concurrently, the New York brokerage requires Letters Testamentary from the New York Surrogate’s Court.
Filed in the county of the decedent’s domicile under SCPA 205.
The executor gains legal authority to act on the estate.
Frozen accounts are transferred to the named beneficiaries.
Submitted in Hebrew, without a referral to outside Israeli counsel.
The inheritance order the Israeli bank and Land Registry both require.
Title moves at the Land Registry on the strength of that order.
David Shakarchi runs both proceedings simultaneously, under a single unified representation. He sequences the apostille documentation — the cross-border authentication required under the Hague Apostille Convention — so the proceedings advance in parallel rather than stalling out.
Do you need separate wills for your U.S. and Israeli assets?
“Yes, it is highly advisable to have a separate will for assets located in New York or New Jersey and another for assets in Israel.”
Yes — and the reason is practical, not just legal.
This dual-will approach streamlines the probate process in each jurisdiction, allowing Israeli assets to be probated under Israeli law with an Israeli will, and U.S. assets to be handled locally with a New York or New Jersey will. It spares your beneficiaries from the burdensome task of notarizing and apostilling numerous documents across borders, making the administration of your estate far more efficient, cost-effective, and legally secure.
A single will drafted only for New York creates a document that Israeli courts will eventually accept, but only after a formal recognition process that takes months and costs significant money. This is an avoidable procedural burden.
How can you speak with attorney David Shakarchi directly?
Every client matter at this firm is personally evaluated and handled by David Shakarchi — it is not delegated, screened by intake staff, or routed to a junior associate.
Whether your matter is a New York estate, an Israeli inheritance, a construction accident, or a commercial dispute, the first call goes directly to the attorney who handles it.
New York, NY 10001
One block from Penn Station — reachable by every major subway line and by NJ Transit.
Hackensack, NJ 07601
Serving Bergen County and New Jersey clients.